Kiss - Read & Write Romance Competitive Intelligence｜Ad Analysis by SocialPeta
Competitive intelligence is the first step in our marketing intelligence work and one of the most important parts. Only when we understand the details of our competitors can we formulate a correct and effective marketing strategy.
In this report, SocialPeta analyzes the Kiss - Read & Write Romance's ad analysis from multiple aspects and helps you see the competitive intelligence of top grossing apps Kiss - Read & Write Romance.
Now, I'll tell you how to gain a competitive advantage by SocialPeta.
1. Basic Information of Kiss - Read & Write Romance
App Name : Kiss - Read & Write Romance
Logo：
OS : iOS
Network : Facebook,Audience Network,Messenger
Developer : Crazy Maple Studio, Inc.
Publisher : Instagram,Facebook,Pro des Mots™,AudioBook - Audio Books Player,新免费黑白键盘：最好玩的钢琴块音乐游戏#节奏达人来！,Shift Work Calendar
Total creative ads during the time period : 6,820
Duration : 207
Popularity : 431,581
Check ASO Keywords of Kiss - Read & Write Romance
2. Kiss - Read & Write Romance’s Competitive Intelligence
what is competitive intelligence? Competitive intelligence is the most important part of our marketing. Only when we fully understand the overall situation of our competitors and the market can we make accurate judgments.
Before advertising, we usually use various tools, such as SocialPeta, to check the details of competitors' ads. In this report, we will analyze the recent advertising performance of advertiser Kiss - Read & Write Romance in detail to understand its advertising strategy.
Trend of Category
There are many types of creatives. We mainly analyze the trend of the ad creative category of Kiss - Read & Write Romance in the recent period. As of 2021-03-15, among the Kiss - Read & Write Romance‘s ad creative, the Html category's proportion is 0.0%, Video category's proportion is 24.24%, Playable Ads category's proportion is 0.0%, Image category's proportion is 75.76%, Carousel category's proportion is 0.0%.
Ad Network Analysis
The network that SocialPeta monitors can cover almost all mainstream channels in the world. Understanding the competitor's advertising channels is the first step in marketing work. According to the analysis of SocialPeta, we can see that in the date of 2021-03-15, Kiss - Read & Write Romance's the proportion of networks impressions are placed like this:
Facebook's proportion is 34.71%,
Instagram's proportion is 25.31%,
Messenger's proportion is 20.0%,
Audience Network's proportion is 19.98%,
's proportion is .
In the date of 2021-03-15, Kiss - Read & Write Romance‘s network with the most ads is Facebook and its proportion is 26.26%.
3. Top 3 Ad Creative Analysis of Kiss - Read & Write Romance
This is the detailed information of the top three ad creatives with the best performance among all ad creatives of Kiss - Read & Write Romance. We can see some advertising trends.
Top 1 Ad Creative of Kiss - Read & Write Romance
Ad Details ：
Headline ：Romantic Fiction Stories
Text ：KISS features romance stories of all genres, along with heat levels to match however naughty or nice you’re feeling. KISS feature content from New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Read free chapters from your favorite authors and get daily updates on what’s hot and new!
Themes' featured in KISS:
- Popular Romance
- Hot Fantasy
- Thrilling Suspense
- LGBT
- & More
Need a fix from one of your tried-and-true authors or want to take comfort in a favorite trope? Whether it’s the best friend’s older brother, the hottie next door, or being swept off your feet by an alpha billionaire, we have you covered! Want to discover someone new? We have endless titles and authors to choose from, including new and exclusive content from some of your favorite voices.
Top 2 Ad Creative of Kiss - Read & Write Romance
Ad Details ：
Headline ：One Last Adventure to Escape the Pressures of An Arranged Marriage.
Text ：One last adventure. That was all Julianne wanted.
One last trip to escape the pressures of an arranged marriage to a man she doesn't love and doesn't even like. One last time to experience freedom... to go wherever she wanted to go, to be anyone she wanted to be.
On her last two weeks in Paris, she met someone unexpected-aspiring painter, Jas Mathieu. He was as handsome as hell, and as sweet as heaven. He captured her heart, lit her fire and consumed her soul.
She wanted to give Jas every part of herself, but she was already promised to a powerful man who could easily ruin the simple life of the guy she fell in love with. Terrified of what her father and fiancé could do to Jas if she stayed with him, she fled Paris and left him behind-with no real information about herself, not even her real name.
Little did she know, that the passionate night they spent together would be the cause of her broken engagement and would change her life forever.
Seven years later, after her father stripped her of her heiress title and privileges, she crossed paths with Jas Mathieu once again. And this time, she found out that he wasn't exactly the struggling artist she thought he was. And he was no stranger to the family and social circle she belonged to.
It turned out that years ago, when they met... she wasn't the only one keeping secrets.
Chapter One
Julianne Arabella Sanders walked the streets of the city she loved the most—Paris.
Her family owned a glass factory here and her father often came. Sometimes, he took them with him. And every time she went, she would fall in love with the city over and over again.
But this particular visit to Paris was special. This time she was all by herself. She was free to be who she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted.
She only had two weeks left of life as she knew it. She could have an adventure, assume a different identity, make mistakes, fall in love and make her dreams come true.
But once her time was up, she would no longer be free to decide her own fate. She would pledge all her days, all her tomorrows—her present and her future—to a man she had only met twice, and didn’t really like. She would follow her stupid family tradition of arranged marriages and be miserable for all eternity.
She tried to fight her fate, but her father had always been known to be a stubborn man. When he made up his mind, that was it. No turning back, no reasoning with him, no changing his mind. Not even her twin brother, Gian, heir of their business empire and future head of the family could do anything about it.
This vacation was the most that Gian could do for her. He had a long discussion with their father and he managed to bargain for her temporary freedom.
She remembered the day before she left for her vacation. She received a strange and annoying phone call from Patrick McAllister, her would-be fiancé.
“I don’t really agree with this adventure of yours,” he told her.
“Well, unfortunately, you have no say in the matter,” she replied dryly.
“Yet,” he emphasized.
‘This guy has some nerve,’ she thought angrily, but she managed to keep her voice cool.
“Is there a real purpose for this call?”
“Well, yes,” he replied. “I called to say that while you’re on this little adventure of yours, you must mind your actions.”
“ do you mean?”
“I mean, you always have to remember that you will soon be a McAllister. Whatever you do in this little trip of yours may catch up with you in the future. And whatever happens to you affects me and my name. Whatever affects my name, affects my family. I think you know where I’m going with this.”
“I think I do. Luckily, I’m still my own person. And I will do whatever I want. Because as far as I know, I’m still Julianne Sanders. Not Julianne McAllister.”
“Whatever. Just make sure that you do not drag my name through the mud if you screw up. Or better yet, think about your family name too. I order you to use a different name, assume a different identity. As any other person you’re free to do whatever you want. As Julianne Sanders and soon to be Julianne McAllister, you know the society has rules, darling. Be mindful of who you are and who you are about to marry. I hope I’m making myself clear.”
“Well, you don’t…”
He hung up before she could even finish that sentence.
“What a despicable creature!” She fumed.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine how the rest of her life was going to be, married to that man. But no matter how much she hated that Patrick McAllister was already dictating her life, she still did as he asked. When she travelled, she used a different name.
Arabella Adams.
In a way, using a different name and assuming a different identity had an appeal to it. For the next three months, she could be whoever she wanted to be. She was truly free.
But sadly, all good things must come to an end. She was now at the end of her journey and she intended to make the most of the last two weeks of her freedom.
She walked the streets of Paris without a particular destination in mind. She smiled at the people who walked past, saying ‘Bon jour,’ which was one of the only ten French phrases she knew. People must think she was overly friendly, or a little bit cuckoo, but she didn’t care.
She passed by a small shop that sold trinkets and souvenirs.
“Bon jour,” she greeted the lady in the counter, who looked up at her from head to feet, as if judging if she was a potential shoplifter.
The cashier muttered something in French, which was too fast for her to understand.
“Um, I’m just going to look around,” she mumbled.
Her eyes drifted to the shelf with mouth-blown glass perfume bottles. They were handmade, with excellent craftsmanship.
“Holy cow!” she breathed in excitement.
She had been collecting handmade glass perfume bottles since she was in high school. She was so fascinated by the intricacies of their design, particularly those with wirings and colorful stones. During her trip, she had collected at least two from each city she went to. Someday, each one would remind her of her adventure.
She found porcelain glass bottles, as well as beaded ones. There were antiques as well. She gathered eight bottles with the best designs. One was a blue bottle with intricate silver wirings and crystals shaped to form a crucifix. It looked ancient and special and she knew exactly where to put it on her collection shelf.
When she went to the counter, the lady started speaking to her in French.
“What?”
The lady took the bottle with the crucifix design and set it aside.
“Excuse me, I want that,” Julianne protested.
The lady started muttering something. She raised her voice and she looked aggravated, but Julianne could not understand a word coming out of her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I. Don’t. Understand. What. You. Mean,” Julianne said as slowly as possible. “Please. Speak. English.”
The lady snapped at her, or it seemed like she did. Her expression was so cross, she looked like she would call the police on her any moment.
“Hey, I just want to buy those. I cannot understand you.”
The lady was waving her hand in front of her now. Julianne was getting frustrated. She wanted to walk out of the shop now, but that particular glass bottle seemed so much worth the trouble.
Just then, another customer stood beside her and started speaking to the lady in French. He sounded like he was intervening for her.
They discussed for a few minutes, and finally, the lady started to calmed down. She packed the glass bottles and the crucifix one separately. She turned to Julianne and spoke in French. Julianne raised a brow.
“One hundred twenty dollars,” the guy told her in English.
Julianne quickly handed her the bills. The lady raised a brow at the guy beside her. He said something to her in French before she finally handed the bags over to Julianne.
Julianne turned to the stranger beside her. She didn’t know what he and the cashier talked about and why she seemed aggravated, but she was thankful for the help she got.
“Thank. You. I. Don’t. Know. What. Would. Have. Happened. If. You. Didn’t. Intervene.” She didn’t know how much English this guy knew, but she needed to thank him.
He stared at her as if she was out of her mind. He didn’t speak at first and Julianne was afraid that his English was limited to numbers and a few phrases.
Then suddenly, he laughed and said, “No worries. My English is just fine, thank you very much.” He spoke English quite fluently and Julianne noticed that his French accent was not as heavy as it was when he first spoke to her. In fact, he sounded like he spoke English frequently.
“Oh my God, thank you so much,” Julianne breathed in relief. “I don’t know what happened back there, but I’m glad you assisted me. I understood zero from what she said, and I’m pretty sure she felt the same about me.”
“You’re welcome. She doesn’t speak English at all.”
“Why did she seem angry?”
“Well, that bottle that you got was not supposed to be there. I think it’s somewhat rare… somewhat old.”
“How… how old?”
The guy shrugged. “Really old. Anyway, I told her that if it wasn’t for sale then she should not have placed it there. In the end, she decided to let it go.”
“It must be more expensive than the other bottles. How much was it?”
The guy shrugged. “I’m sure your payment pretty much covered it.”
“Oh, are you sure? I can give her more money for it.”
The guy shook his head. “She agreed already, that should be enough.”
“Oh, thanks.” She turned to the lady in the counter. “Merci beaucoup.”
But the lady raised her brow and muttered something in French again and then pointed her fingers at the guy beside her.
“What did she say?”
“Ah, she said… you should ah, thank me for putting up a good argument.” The guy turned to the cashier and said something to her. Then to Julianne’s surprise he pulled her by the elbow gently and led her to the exit. “Come, before she changes her mind.”
Outside the shop, Julianne turned to the guy once again and thanked him for intervening. Only then was she able to get a good look at him and realized how gorgeous he was.
Dark copper brown hair and striking blue green eyes, which was pretty rare. He was more than a foot taller than her, maybe a few inches taller than her twin brother. He had a slight cleft on his chin and when he talked, dimples on both sides of his lips appeared.
It took Julianne a while to realize that he was staring at her too, probably doing the same thing she was doing to him—studying his features.
She shook herself back to reality before she drooled. “Um… again, thank you. It was really nice of you to help.”
“Pleasure was all mine,” he said, giving her a crooked smile.
“Okay, I’ll go. Thanks again.” She gave him one last smile before she turned around and walked away.
He didn’t say anything more. And Julianne thought it would be the last she’d see of him.
She spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city. Towards the evening, she passed by Pont des Arts, and took a selfie along the padlocks. She spent some time reading out some names and the hopeless romantic in her couldn’t help wondering that if her life had been different, if she had not been Julianne Sanders, then maybe someday, she could be here, writing her name on one of these padlocks with the man she’s hopelessly in love with.
“Are you looking for your name?” Somebody behind her asked.
She turned away from the locks and towards the source of the voice. She found herself face to face with the guy she had met earlier at the souvenir shop.
“Oh, hi,” she greeted him with a shy smile.
He motioned towards the locks. “Were you looking for yours?”
She shook her head. “Oh no, no. I haven’t done this before. But I’m happy for those who have. What about you? How many of these have you placed in here?”
He smiled at her. “Nah. Nothing.”
“You sound like you don’t believe this could immortalize a love story?”
He shrugged. “I don’t believe that love could be immortal at all.”
“Wow. That’s quite cynical and… very honest of you,” she said. “Most guys would do anything to give the impression that they’re in for happily ever afters.”
“Well, I don’t believe in happily ever afters. Or haven’t met somebody who would change my opinion about it. Have you?”
She shook her head. “No. And I’m afraid I don’t have the luxury to do that.”
“Why?”
She shook her head slightly and looked at the padlocks again. “I believe in seizing the day and making the most out of the present, rather than making promises for the future.”
He stared at her for a moment. Then he said, “That’s quite honest of you. Most girls would give the impression that they’re looking for a Prince Charming and they expect a ring on their fingers after the tenth date.”
She laughed. “Most girls. But maybe I don’t have ten dates to give away.”
It was true. She said that, hoping he didn’t detect the sadness in her voice.
“Well, maybe I’d be happy with just one,” he said. His voice was sober and when she looked up him, she realized that he was seriously waiting for her answer.
“You don’t even know my name,” she said.
“Maybe I haven’t earned it yet,” he countered.
“Indeed, you haven’t.”
“Perhaps after our first date, I would.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “If fate would allow us to have a first date in the first place.”
“I don’t believe in fate.”
“Maybe it’s time you do.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m the girl sent to change your mind about it.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Tomorrow,” she said, her heart pounding wildly in her ribcage. “At sunset, I will be sitting in a coffee shop reading a book, waiting for my date to arrive. Assuming, fate will allow us to have that date.”
“What do you mean?”
“I won’t tell you exactly what time or where. But I will be in a coffee shop. And if fate agrees with us, you will be in that coffee shop too.”
“There must be about a hundred coffee shops in Paris,” he protested.
“Yes. A hundred chances to get it wrong. And only one chance to get it right,” she smiled at him. “If of all the wrong places you could be, you end up in the same place I am… then that’s Fate smiling down upon you. And maybe you’ll start believing.”
With that, she gave him one last smile and turned away to leave.
***
Get out of my face!” Edward Sanders bellowed. His voice vibrated in every corner of the tea room where he sat with his wife, his son and his daughter. “Get out of our lives! Consider yourself banished! You cannot expect any form of financial support from this family from now on!”
“Dad!” Julianne heard her twin brother plead. “That is too harsh a punishment! She made a mistake but she’s still my sister, she’s still your daughter! And the baby she is carrying in her tummy is every bit our flesh and blood! Do you really want your grandchild to grow up without a family?”
“What difference does it make? It will grow up without a father, right? Its poor excuse of a father chose for him to become a ! And its mother chose to smear this family’s name! Generations of good reputation, wealth and grace… gone because of your sister’s indiscretion!”
“I know she caused you grief. But I guarantee you it would break your heart even more if you choose to banish her from this family, father. Please don’t do this!” Gian tried desperately to defend his sister.
“I have made my decision. Your sister has made her bed, she has to go lie on it!”
Julianne listened in tears as her father and twin brother talked about her like she was not in the same room at all. Her mother cried silently beside her father. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at her.
“Where will she go?” Gian asked.
“I don’t care where she goes, so long as she and her stay away from this family!”
Julianne’s heart broke even more for the baby inside her tummy. Usually, news of pregnancy was celebrated, particularly in their family. Her baby wasn’t even born yet and he was already hated, loathed and cursed by his very own grandfather.
“I am giving you three hours to pack,” her father said to her. “When I come back from my golf game, you better be gone.”
“You’re kicking her out of the house while you continue to have a good time with your golf buddies? What kind of a father are you?” Gian asked his father angrily.
“Don’t use that tone on me, Giancarlo Sanders! Or do you want to be the next to be disinherited?”
“You’re disinheriting her?” Gian echoed.
“After what she did to tarnish our family name? After I had to swallow all my pride to tell the McAllisters that we could no longer honor our agreement? She should be thankful that’s the only thing I’m doing.”
“You are unbelievable,” Gian said, shaking his head. He turned to his sister. “Come on, Ian. We can figure something out.”
Julianne gave her father one pleading look. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to break your heart. I am so sorry.”
Her father turned away from her, without uttering another word. Gian quickly dragged her out of the room and into her bedroom so she could pack her precious belongings.
After she packed a few clothes, her eyes drifted to the cabinet in her room. It was full of her glass bottle collection. She walked towards the cabinet, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“You cannot bring that, sis,” Gian told her.
“Gian, I’ve collected these since I was young!”
“I know. I will safeguard them for you, don’t worry. Where you’re going, you cannot bring a cabinet full of fragile glass bottles.”
She nodded, and then took her bag from the bed.
A few hours later, Julianne found herself in the airport. Her cousin, Justin Adams, and his wife, Adrienne, were waiting for them.
“Ian!” Adrienne ran up to her and gave her a hug. “Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?”
Julianne opened her mouth to answer but no words came out. Instead, more tears came rolling down her cheeks.
“It’s going to be okay,” Adrienne whispered. “You are not going to do this alone. I promise, even if it’s against everybody’s will, I don’t care. I will be there for you.”
Justin came up behind his wife.
Tears fell from Julianne’s eyes. “My Dad is going to kill you for going against his will,” she told Justin.
“Well, this isn’t the first time I’m gonna go against their will. I’ve done this before and so far, nobody has banished me from the family,” Justin said confidently.
Julianne knew the risk Justin and Adrienne were taking. Their families were very close, their ties were hard to break. They all belonged to wealthy and prominent families, each one owning large businesses and conglomerates in the country. Reputation was of high importance. And so was respect. When one of the elders in their clan made a huge decision, the others were expected to keep quiet, to obey and concur out of respect. That was how they maintained balance and harmony.
When news of Julianne’s banishment reached the other members of their clan, all of her aunts and uncles were expected to respect her father’s decision, even if some of them did not agree that it was the proper punishment for her mistake. To disagree and do something about it might spark friction and unnecessary fights among the four powerful families.
But somehow, there she was, at the airport, about to board the Adams private jet. She didn’t know where the plane was taking her, but she didn’t care—well, she didn’t have much of a choice. Right then, she had nowhere to go.
“Justin, thank you,” Julianne whispered. “I know the risks you guys are taking.”
“Don’t thank me,” Justin said. “Thank this woman, who twisted my arm.” He put an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Julianne smiled at Adrienne. “You have always been there for me. How could I ever thank you?”
“It’s okay. I know you’d do the same for me,” Adrienne said, smiling at her encouragingly.
“All set?” Gian asked behind her.
“Yes,” Justin replied. “Mason and Abi are going to pick her up at the airport. Ian will stay with them. And there, Uncle Edward cannot touch her. She will be taken care of.”
“I will take care of every single thing you will need. I will send you money. Make sure you take care of your baby. You don’t have to worry about anything. I will visit every single chance I get,” Gian said, hugging her. “You may have lost our parents, but don’t you ever think that you will lose me, too.”
“Us too,” Adrienne agreed. “Justin and I will check up on you. We’ll visit whenever we can. We’ll bring Jeffrey along so you can see your nephew.”
Julianne heaved a sigh. She realized how much her life was going to change now and how much she was going to leave behind.
She was the princess of their family—the only girl born in their family’s generation. She had a twin brother and three male cousins. Her family owned Sanders Incorporated, which manufactured cranes and heavy equipment. Justin’s family owned the biggest steel and mining company in the country. Her cousin Jordan’s family owned one of the biggest coffee chains. Her cousin Mason’s family owned a chain of hotel apartments.
She had always thought that being the only girl, she was the only one free to choose her own destiny. Gian would take over the family business, like Justin and Jordan. She, on the other hand, could do whatever she wanted with her life.
But the news of Justin’s arranged marriage two years ago revealed that she too had been arranged to marry one of the country’s most eligible bachelors, Patrick McAllister, who came from a generation of politicians.
It was a great match and everybody agreed, including her family. But Julianne wanted the freedom to explore, to make mistakes and to fall in love.
When she learned of her arranged marriage, she fought hard against it. She had only met Patrick McAllister once. Yes, he was handsome and smart. But Julianne wanted passion and excitement. She wanted love that would consume her, a man who would make her senses go numb and her mind go blank.
And in those last two weeks in Paris… she had everything she ever dreamt of.
“You’re not going to tell us who he is, are you?” Gian asked, his voice cold and his expression sullen.
Julianne blinked back at her brother, like she was coming out of a trance.
“Yeah, Ian. He got you into so much trouble. It’s not fair that you have to go through this alone,” Justin said. It was a trick sentence. She knew what Justin and Gian would do the minute she told them his name—the guy she fell in love with in Paris.
“Guys!” Adrienne hissed. “I’m sure when Ian is ready, she will tell us exactly what happened in her trip. Right now is not the time to deal with this. She’s a grown woman and I’m sure she doesn’t regret being with this guy.” Adrienne looked at her with a slightly raised brow, as if begging her to agree with her.
Julianne nodded in agreement. “I know this is a lot to take. You guys may think that I just threw away my bright future. But… I’m gonna take care of this baby. No matter what Dad or Mom says, I’m going to do this.”
“That son of a is going to pay for leaving you to do this on your own!” Gian said between gritted teeth. “I’m going to beat him black and blue. If only you tell me his name!”
Julianne rolled her eyes. “Now that you say that… there is absolutely no way you’re going to find out!” She looked at them pleadingly. “Look guys. I know you’re mad and you’re putting the blame on him. But did it ever occur to you that I just met a great guy, had a wonderful week in Paris? We fell in love and decided to part ways… damn the consequences? I mean… what if I’ve always wanted to do this alone?”
Gian smirked. “What woman would want to raise a child alone?”
Julianne raised a brow at him. “Excuse me! Women do not need men to take care of their babies! We’re stronger than you give us credit for, you chauvinist pig!”
“It’s the hormones, Gian. Don’t take it personally,” Justin quipped. “When Adrienne was pregnant, I’d get snapped at and cursed at every other half an hour. And she’s never looked more beautiful and fiery in my eyes.”
“That’s because you’re the reason a person was growing inside of her. But in my case, there’s a somewhere in Europe who got lucky for a night and left my sister in ruins for the rest of her life!”
“Gian!” Julianne snapped. “One more word and I swear I will banish you from my life! I know you’re mad. But the father of my baby is a wonderful person.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s a dreamboat. Otherwise, I would be seriously disappointed,” Justin said sarcastically.
“Cut it out boys. There will be a time and a place to discuss this. Right now, let’s just focus on getting Ian out of here, before Uncle Edward suspects anything,” Adrienne said.
“Thank you for doing this,” Julianne told Adrienne. “I’ll make it up to you someday, I promise.”
“Don’t worry about that. Let’s get you out of here,”
Julianne hugged Adrienne, Justin and her twin brother. “I’m going to miss you, guys. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to miss us, sis. We’ll visit as soon as things settle down here,” Gian promised.
A few minutes later, Julianne sat alone in the luxurious seats of Adams Industries’ private jet. She felt comfortable, yes, but deep inside, the pain still felt raw and fresh.
Gian was right. She didn’t have to do this alone. Somewhere in the other part of the world, there was a wonderful, handsome Frenchman who made her fall head over heels in love with him in the two weeks she spent in Paris. He was handsome as hell, and he was the sweetest man she had ever met.
She remembered his face like it was only yesterday. He was not just cute, not just hot… he was beautiful. He was an old soul with creative hands and a deep imagination.
She knew him for a brief moment. Fourteen days, twelve long-stemmed roses, a hundred kisses and one night together were all they had and it was enough to last forever.
She came back to the States thinking if she was going to be doomed to a loveless marriage, a marriage for business purposes, then that two weeks in Paris with that wonderful man would have been enough to last her a lifetime. She found the love that consumed her. One night was enough. She didn’t care if she never experienced love again for the rest of her life.
She closed her eyes to imagine him once more…
“Tu es ravissante…” She could still remember his low, guttural voice, thick with emotions, laced with desire. “Mon amour…”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her whole family thought he had abandoned her. It wasn’t fair. The truth is... he never even got the chance to come after her. Even if he wanted to find her, how could he? When she met him, she didn’t think of having a future with him. She was engaged to someone else.
“Arabella…” She remembered the first time she met him. “My name is Arabella Adams.”
When she left his studio apartment that morning before she boarded the plane back to America, she didn’t think it was necessary to tell him her real name. What for? They didn’t have tomorrow. All her tomorrows were already promised to another man against her will. So, it didn’t matter if she didn’t tell him who she really was… it didn’t matter if she didn’t give him her real name. She might never even see him again.
Who would have known that she would fall in love in two weeks, if she didn’t fall in love with him at first sight? And who would have known she was ovulating the day she finally decided to lose her virginity to the first guy she ever loved? Who would have known he wouldn’t use protection when he’s only met her two weeks ago? Who would have known she would end up pregnant after spending just one night with him?
Julianne gently caressed her abdomen.
“I’m gonna do this,” she whispered. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m going to love you. I’m going to take care of you. We’re going to be just fine.”
Chapter Two
Tu es ravissante… J'adore… Je chérirai ce moment pour toujours… Restez avec moi…
Julianne sat up from bed, waking up from a deep sleep. She looked at her bedside clock. It was only four in the morning.
She reached out for her ankle, to rub the tattoo that was permanently etched there.
Seven years ago, in a small studio apartment in Paris, she was sneaking out quietly, trying her best not to wake him up so he couldn’t stop her from leaving… so she could let go of this fantasy life and face the nightmares that were waiting for her at home.
She thought she would forget him—the only man she’s ever been in love with.
Jas Mathieu.
But even now, he still haunted her dreams. And oftentimes, in the middle of the night, she would lie in bed, thinking about him.
She wanted to fall in love. She did. And he was perfect. An aspiring painter waiting for his time to shine. He wasn’t rich but he was ambitious. He had dreams and he had what it took to make them happen. That was one of the things she admired about him. She wished she could have been with him when his break finally came. But she knew from the beginning that their time was limited. She couldn’t stay. She couldn’t even give him her real name.
She remembered the day she decided to get a tattoo. She had always wanted to get one but she knew her parents would never agree.
“Well, how often do they look on your bum, your hip or the inside of your ankle?” Jas asked, his voice full of mischief. “You could get a tattoo—in a place where they wouldn’t care to look, right?”
She decided that her father had already signed up her life to the McAllisters anyway. Getting this tattoo was something she would do for herself… something to remember her days of freedom in Paris.
“Okay, why don’t you choose a design?” she asked him.
Jas drew a heart and butterfly wing tattoo design on a piece of paper. It was a bit of an abstract, but quite cute and elegant. She liked it very much.
“Are you sure you trust me to be the designer of probably the only tattoo you will get in your life?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Well, I have faith in you,” she replied, smiling back at him. “Something to remember Paris by. You and my tattoo.”
He asked the tattoo artist to draw the design on her. When it was finished, she distinctly saw the line inside the heart that unwittingly looked like the letter J. Beside it was a line that formed what looked like one wing of a butterfly.
She narrowed his eyes at him. “You had your initial drawn on my ankle?”
He laughed. “Like you said, me and your tattoo.”
He was right. She never forgot him. The tattoo always reminded her of their borrowed time together.
But who would have thought that he would change her life forever? That one night was all it took to bind him to her for the rest of her life.
Jared Adrien Sanders.
That was her son’s name. His middle name was after his godmother, Adrienne, who had always been there for Julianne since she’d been banished by her parents.
Every day, Jared reminded her of his father. They had the same shade of reddish-brown hair, the same aquamarine eyes, which were his most attractive feature. Jared even had the same dimples and chin as his father. How could she hope to forget the beautiful man she fell in love with in Paris? Jared was the exact miniature of Jas Mathieu.
At an early age, Jared exhibited creativity and skill with his hands. Julianne knew he was going to be an artist like his father. Every day that she fell in love with her son was another day she stayed in love with his father.
Once every three months, Adrienne and Justin would go to Paris to visit Adrienne’s family. They would take their three kids with them—Jeffrey, who was seven now, and twins Jaeden and Jaelynn, who were three.
For the past year, since Julianne came back to the States from her exile in Italy, she’d been living with Justin and Adrienne, along with her son. Justin offered her a job as VP for Corporate Strategy for Adams Industries. The salary was good and included a rent-free stay in the Adams’s Mansion.
Julianne thought to use her intellect this time instead of her heart. She let go feelings of pride, remorse and fear and decided to go home. It didn’t matter whether her parents would forgive her or accept her son. What mattered was that Justin gave her a chance to give her son a bright future, even if he didn’t have a rich father like the rest of his cousins. She would provide for him and she vowed that Jared would never feel that there was something missing in his life.
Jared had grown close to his cousins over the last year. The first time Julianne allowed him to go with Justin and Adrienne to Paris, Jared almost didn’t want to leave. It was as if he felt that a part of him belonged there. He was part-French after all.
A week ago, Jared begged her to let him go to Paris once again. She was in the middle of an important project for Adams Industries and could not afford to take off from work. Reluctantly, she let her son go without her again. She promised she would be with him next time.
Julianne picked up her phone to check her messages. Paris was seven hours ahead. It was almost noontime there. She was hoping Adrienne sent her updates about her son.
She saw one message from Adrienne. It had a video of Jared.
“Tu… es… wait what?” Jared was saying in front of the camera. Then he called somebody that Julianne couldn’t see from the video. “Uncle Jin! What was it?”
“Ravi…” somebody was saying in the background, coaching Jared.
“I got it,” Jared said. Then he faced the camera again. “Mommy! Tu es ravissante!” He smiled widely, showing the deep dimple on his cheek. Then he blew her a kiss. “Je t’aime.”
Julianne smiled at her son’s attempt to speak French. In a way, she felt that he should speak the language. It was a part of him.
Julianne dialed Adrienne’s number.
“It’s too early. Why are you up?” Adrienne asked on the other line.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Julianne replied. “I saw the video.”
“He’s so adorable, isn’t he?”
“He is. That’s what he’s been up to lately?”
“Yeah, my brother’s trying to teach him some words. Maybe by the end of this trip, he’ll be more fluent than me. I’m still struggling and I’m part French.”
So was Jared.
“I hope your family didn’t mind that you brought an extra kid with you,” Julianne said.
“Are you kidding me? My parents love Jared,” Adrienne replied. “Even my brother adores him and he’s a bit of a monster sometimes.”
“A monster? How could any monster be related to you?”
“Well, many years ago, I thought my brother was one of the most adorable and sweetest guys on earth. Then history changed him. He’s now unemotional, detached and sometimes a bit of a crude. That’s why he didn’t attend our family gatherings. You won’t even see him in our family photos. He just… doesn’t like to socialize very much. It’s a long, complicated story. Maybe you need to meet him to understand what I mean.”
“Well, I don’t socialize with our entire family either and I’ve been MIA in our family photos for years. But I have my reasons.”
“Ian… don’t worry. I know someday, Uncle Edward will come around. You guys will patch things up,” Adrienne said encouragingly.
“It’s been seven years, Adrienne. I’m not keeping my hopes up. Neither should you.”
“Well, I know there is hope. He never antagonized Justin for helping you seven years ago. And he never said anything negative when he found out that you’re working for Justin and that you’re living with us.”
“Not saying anything does not mean agreeing, when it comes to my father. Sometimes, it just means, he’s biding his time. You should know that about him. Besides, it’s not about me anymore, Adrienne. I was hoping he’d have the heart to even look at his grandson.”
“The right time will come. His heart will melt when he sees your boy. Hey, if Jared could melt my brother’s almost-non-existent heart, I’m sure he can soften your father’s. Jared is a naturally charming boy. He must have gotten that from his father.”
He did. Jas Mathieu was one of the most angelic and charming creatures I’ve met. He’s a beautiful old soul.
Julianne shook off old memories of Jas Mathieu from her mind, to keep from feeling heartbroken once again.
“Wait, what about your parents? I hope I’m not imposing too much on them. I haven’t even met them yet.”
“I told you, your son is a natural charmer. He’s already stolen my parents’ hearts. They already consider Jared as their family. And they cannot wait to meet you.”
“Yeah, I promise I’ll come next time.”
“Well, that next time will be soon enough,” Adrienne said.
“Why?”
“Well, my mother is throwing a huge party next month. And all of us are expected to attend,” Adrienne replied. “She’s celebrating the success of one of her books. She’s hit another bestseller. She does this every time one of her books hit the number one spot, which is at least once a year.”
“Wow. Send my congratulations.”
“You can tell her yourself when you arrive here,” Adrienne said. “It’s going to be a double celebration. My brother is about to be engaged.”
“Is that engagement by his own will or is it the type of engagement that both our families are fond of getting into?”
Yes, their families were quite notorious for arranged marriages. Adrienne’s mother and stepfather had an arranged marriage. Justin and Adrienne had been arranged to marry each other too. Good thing they were already in love when they found out about the arrangement. Justin’s father and mother had also been arranged to be married. Julianne, too, would have been married to the man they arranged her with, if she hadn’t gotten pregnant first.
“Well, he’s been seeing this girl on and off. She comes from a good family who owns a chain of hotels that Starck Corp. had been looking to acquire. Marriage between him and this girl would be very convenient.”
“You mean it will be easier for your brother to acquire this chain of hotels if he were to marry this girl?”
“In a way, yeah.”
“How much does your brother want to expand your family’s hotel properties?”
“My brother is a prodigy. He started working for Papa when he was only sixteen. By eighteen, he was already handling half of Starck Corp. and my mother’s spa and relaxation chain. It’s his life’s mission to see Starck Corp. at the top of the world.”
“And getting this girl’s family’s hotels will do the job?”
“It will give Starck Corp. a very huge and very rare advantage, apparently.”
“How difficult is it to acquire these properties?”
“Difficult since it’s purely family-owned.”
“If I were his VP for Corporate Strategy, I would advise him to do the same thing. Marry her. That is, if he didn’t have a heart, like you said, and he didn’t look forward to marrying for love anyway.”
“Unfortunately, nothing is more important to my brother than our family business. He would do anything and would stop at nothing.”
“And this party is going to be an engagement party?”
“Well, not yet. Because he’s only expected to propose to her there.”
“In the middle of the party? In front of all the people he barely knows? That’s very unromantic, don’t you think?”
“What do you expect? It almost happened to me, remember? Our parents expected Justin to propose to me the same way—at one of my mother’s book parties. Maybe Mom was trying to start a tradition.”
“I will forever be sorry that I missed that party. How I wish I’d seen the faces of your parents when you guys didn’t show up to your own engagement party.”
“I’m sorry you weren’t a bridesmaid at my wedding either.”
“Yeah. I hated Justin for weeks when I found out you were getting hitched on a secret wedding in Italy! Your timing was impossible.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be a bridesmaid when I marry her again, Ian,” Justin said on the other line. Julianne could hear Adrienne protesting. Justin must have taken the phone away from her.
“You’re going to marry her again?”
“Of course. I’ll marry her over and over if I have the chance. But I do intend to get married again in the States. We’ll renew our vows. And this time it’s going to be grand. Everybody will be invited.”
“Good, because I will never speak to you ever if I miss it again.”
“Anyway, did you read the email I sent to you yesterday?” Justin asked. His tone turned serious and professional. Julianne had to remember that she’s now talking to her boss.
“Yes,” she replied. “RJ Shipping looks promising. But in terms of experience, they’ve only been in the market for two years. I don’t know if they’re the right company to handle our shipments in Asia.”
“I trust the owner. He’ll be in Chicago in the coming weeks. Do you think you can meet up with him?”
“Me? Well, I’ve given you my opinion. Don’t you think Procurement should be the one to handle that meeting?”
“I know what George is going to say,” Justin said.
“Me too.”
“I know. I just want to give River a chance. And if you meet him, you’ll understand why I’m inclined to trust him. And maybe you’ll give a different input before we set out the wolves to see him. And as my VP for Strategy, I’m sure you’ll come up with some other recommendations. I want to make a partnership happen. River was one of the people I could trust with my life.”
“Fine, I’ll meet him.”
“Thanks, Ian. Now, do you want to speak to my wife again?”
“It’s okay. I’ll call later. It’s only four in the morning here.”
“Don’t worry, too much, Ian. Jared is in good hands. They love him here.”
“Thanks for doing this, Justin. And thank Adrienne and her lovely family for me.”
“Sure. Speak to you later.”
Julianne smiled to herself. She missed her son very much. Next time, she won’t be too busy to visit and meet Adrienne’s family.
Top 3 Ad Creative of Kiss - Read & Write Romance
Ad Details ：
Headline ：One Last Adventure to Escape the Pressures of An Arranged Marriage.
Text ：One last adventure. That was all Julianne wanted.
One last trip to escape the pressures of an arranged marriage to a man she doesn't love and doesn't even like. One last time to experience freedom... to go wherever she wanted to go, to be anyone she wanted to be.
On her last two weeks in Paris, she met someone unexpected-aspiring painter, Jas Mathieu. He was as handsome as hell, and as sweet as heaven. He captured her heart, lit her fire and consumed her soul.
She wanted to give Jas every part of herself, but she was already promised to a powerful man who could easily ruin the simple life of the guy she fell in love with. Terrified of what her father and fiancé could do to Jas if she stayed with him, she fled Paris and left him behind-with no real information about herself, not even her real name.
Little did she know, that the passionate night they spent together would be the cause of her broken engagement and would change her life forever.
Seven years later, after her father stripped her of her heiress title and privileges, she crossed paths with Jas Mathieu once again. And this time, she found out that he wasn't exactly the struggling artist she thought he was. And he was no stranger to the family and social circle she belonged to.
It turned out that years ago, when they met... she wasn't the only one keeping secrets.
Chapter One
Julianne Arabella Sanders walked the streets of the city she loved the most—Paris.
Her family owned a glass factory here and her father often came. Sometimes, he took them with him. And every time she went, she would fall in love with the city over and over again.
But this particular visit to Paris was special. This time she was all by herself. She was free to be who she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted.
She only had two weeks left of life as she knew it. She could have an adventure, assume a different identity, make mistakes, fall in love and make her dreams come true.
But once her time was up, she would no longer be free to decide her own fate. She would pledge all her days, all her tomorrows—her present and her future—to a man she had only met twice, and didn’t really like. She would follow her stupid family tradition of arranged marriages and be miserable for all eternity.
She tried to fight her fate, but her father had always been known to be a stubborn man. When he made up his mind, that was it. No turning back, no reasoning with him, no changing his mind. Not even her twin brother, Gian, heir of their business empire and future head of the family could do anything about it.
This vacation was the most that Gian could do for her. He had a long discussion with their father and he managed to bargain for her temporary freedom.
She remembered the day before she left for her vacation. She received a strange and annoying phone call from Patrick McAllister, her would-be fiancé.
“I don’t really agree with this adventure of yours,” he told her.
“Well, unfortunately, you have no say in the matter,” she replied dryly.
“Yet,” he emphasized.
‘This guy has some nerve,’ she thought angrily, but she managed to keep her voice cool.
“Is there a real purpose for this call?”
“Well, yes,” he replied. “I called to say that while you’re on this little adventure of yours, you must mind your actions.”
“ do you mean?”
“I mean, you always have to remember that you will soon be a McAllister. Whatever you do in this little trip of yours may catch up with you in the future. And whatever happens to you affects me and my name. Whatever affects my name, affects my family. I think you know where I’m going with this.”
“I think I do. Luckily, I’m still my own person. And I will do whatever I want. Because as far as I know, I’m still Julianne Sanders. Not Julianne McAllister.”
“Whatever. Just make sure that you do not drag my name through the mud if you screw up. Or better yet, think about your family name too. I order you to use a different name, assume a different identity. As any other person you’re free to do whatever you want. As Julianne Sanders and soon to be Julianne McAllister, you know the society has rules, darling. Be mindful of who you are and who you are about to marry. I hope I’m making myself clear.”
“Well, you don’t…”
He hung up before she could even finish that sentence.
“What a despicable creature!” She fumed.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine how the rest of her life was going to be, married to that man. But no matter how much she hated that Patrick McAllister was already dictating her life, she still did as he asked. When she travelled, she used a different name.
Arabella Adams.
In a way, using a different name and assuming a different identity had an appeal to it. For the next three months, she could be whoever she wanted to be. She was truly free.
But sadly, all good things must come to an end. She was now at the end of her journey and she intended to make the most of the last two weeks of her freedom.
She walked the streets of Paris without a particular destination in mind. She smiled at the people who walked past, saying ‘Bon jour,’ which was one of the only ten French phrases she knew. People must think she was overly friendly, or a little bit cuckoo, but she didn’t care.
She passed by a small shop that sold trinkets and souvenirs.
“Bon jour,” she greeted the lady in the counter, who looked up at her from head to feet, as if judging if she was a potential shoplifter.
The cashier muttered something in French, which was too fast for her to understand.
“Um, I’m just going to look around,” she mumbled.
Her eyes drifted to the shelf with mouth-blown glass perfume bottles. They were handmade, with excellent craftsmanship.
“Holy cow!” she breathed in excitement.
She had been collecting handmade glass perfume bottles since she was in high school. She was so fascinated by the intricacies of their design, particularly those with wirings and colorful stones. During her trip, she had collected at least two from each city she went to. Someday, each one would remind her of her adventure.
She found porcelain glass bottles, as well as beaded ones. There were antiques as well. She gathered eight bottles with the best designs. One was a blue bottle with intricate silver wirings and crystals shaped to form a crucifix. It looked ancient and special and she knew exactly where to put it on her collection shelf.
When she went to the counter, the lady started speaking to her in French.
“What?”
The lady took the bottle with the crucifix design and set it aside.
“Excuse me, I want that,” Julianne protested.
The lady started muttering something. She raised her voice and she looked aggravated, but Julianne could not understand a word coming out of her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I. Don’t. Understand. What. You. Mean,” Julianne said as slowly as possible. “Please. Speak. English.”
The lady snapped at her, or it seemed like she did. Her expression was so cross, she looked like she would call the police on her any moment.
“Hey, I just want to buy those. I cannot understand you.”
The lady was waving her hand in front of her now. Julianne was getting frustrated. She wanted to walk out of the shop now, but that particular glass bottle seemed so much worth the trouble.
Just then, another customer stood beside her and started speaking to the lady in French. He sounded like he was intervening for her.
They discussed for a few minutes, and finally, the lady started to calmed down. She packed the glass bottles and the crucifix one separately. She turned to Julianne and spoke in French. Julianne raised a brow.
“One hundred twenty dollars,” the guy told her in English.
Julianne quickly handed her the bills. The lady raised a brow at the guy beside her. He said something to her in French before she finally handed the bags over to Julianne.
Julianne turned to the stranger beside her. She didn’t know what he and the cashier talked about and why she seemed aggravated, but she was thankful for the help she got.
“Thank. You. I. Don’t. Know. What. Would. Have. Happened. If. You. Didn’t. Intervene.” She didn’t know how much English this guy knew, but she needed to thank him.
He stared at her as if she was out of her mind. He didn’t speak at first and Julianne was afraid that his English was limited to numbers and a few phrases.
Then suddenly, he laughed and said, “No worries. My English is just fine, thank you very much.” He spoke English quite fluently and Julianne noticed that his French accent was not as heavy as it was when he first spoke to her. In fact, he sounded like he spoke English frequently.
“Oh my God, thank you so much,” Julianne breathed in relief. “I don’t know what happened back there, but I’m glad you assisted me. I understood zero from what she said, and I’m pretty sure she felt the same about me.”
“You’re welcome. She doesn’t speak English at all.”
“Why did she seem angry?”
“Well, that bottle that you got was not supposed to be there. I think it’s somewhat rare… somewhat old.”
“How… how old?”
The guy shrugged. “Really old. Anyway, I told her that if it wasn’t for sale then she should not have placed it there. In the end, she decided to let it go.”
“It must be more expensive than the other bottles. How much was it?”
The guy shrugged. “I’m sure your payment pretty much covered it.”
“Oh, are you sure? I can give her more money for it.”
The guy shook his head. “She agreed already, that should be enough.”
“Oh, thanks.” She turned to the lady in the counter. “Merci beaucoup.”
But the lady raised her brow and muttered something in French again and then pointed her fingers at the guy beside her.
“What did she say?”
“Ah, she said… you should ah, thank me for putting up a good argument.” The guy turned to the cashier and said something to her. Then to Julianne’s surprise he pulled her by the elbow gently and led her to the exit. “Come, before she changes her mind.”
Outside the shop, Julianne turned to the guy once again and thanked him for intervening. Only then was she able to get a good look at him and realized how gorgeous he was.
Dark copper brown hair and striking blue green eyes, which was pretty rare. He was more than a foot taller than her, maybe a few inches taller than her twin brother. He had a slight cleft on his chin and when he talked, dimples on both sides of his lips appeared.
It took Julianne a while to realize that he was staring at her too, probably doing the same thing she was doing to him—studying his features.
She shook herself back to reality before she drooled. “Um… again, thank you. It was really nice of you to help.”
“Pleasure was all mine,” he said, giving her a crooked smile.
“Okay, I’ll go. Thanks again.” She gave him one last smile before she turned around and walked away.
He didn’t say anything more. And Julianne thought it would be the last she’d see of him.
She spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city. Towards the evening, she passed by Pont des Arts, and took a selfie along the padlocks. She spent some time reading out some names and the hopeless romantic in her couldn’t help wondering that if her life had been different, if she had not been Julianne Sanders, then maybe someday, she could be here, writing her name on one of these padlocks with the man she’s hopelessly in love with.
“Are you looking for your name?” Somebody behind her asked.
She turned away from the locks and towards the source of the voice. She found herself face to face with the guy she had met earlier at the souvenir shop.
“Oh, hi,” she greeted him with a shy smile.
He motioned towards the locks. “Were you looking for yours?”
She shook her head. “Oh no, no. I haven’t done this before. But I’m happy for those who have. What about you? How many of these have you placed in here?”
He smiled at her. “Nah. Nothing.”
“You sound like you don’t believe this could immortalize a love story?”
He shrugged. “I don’t believe that love could be immortal at all.”
“Wow. That’s quite cynical and… very honest of you,” she said. “Most guys would do anything to give the impression that they’re in for happily ever afters.”
“Well, I don’t believe in happily ever afters. Or haven’t met somebody who would change my opinion about it. Have you?”
She shook her head. “No. And I’m afraid I don’t have the luxury to do that.”
“Why?”
She shook her head slightly and looked at the padlocks again. “I believe in seizing the day and making the most out of the present, rather than making promises for the future.”
He stared at her for a moment. Then he said, “That’s quite honest of you. Most girls would give the impression that they’re looking for a Prince Charming and they expect a ring on their fingers after the tenth date.”
She laughed. “Most girls. But maybe I don’t have ten dates to give away.”
It was true. She said that, hoping he didn’t detect the sadness in her voice.
“Well, maybe I’d be happy with just one,” he said. His voice was sober and when she looked up him, she realized that he was seriously waiting for her answer.
“You don’t even know my name,” she said.
“Maybe I haven’t earned it yet,” he countered.
“Indeed, you haven’t.”
“Perhaps after our first date, I would.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “If fate would allow us to have a first date in the first place.”
“I don’t believe in fate.”
“Maybe it’s time you do.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m the girl sent to change your mind about it.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Tomorrow,” she said, her heart pounding wildly in her ribcage. “At sunset, I will be sitting in a coffee shop reading a book, waiting for my date to arrive. Assuming, fate will allow us to have that date.”
“What do you mean?”
“I won’t tell you exactly what time or where. But I will be in a coffee shop. And if fate agrees with us, you will be in that coffee shop too.”
“There must be about a hundred coffee shops in Paris,” he protested.
“Yes. A hundred chances to get it wrong. And only one chance to get it right,” she smiled at him. “If of all the wrong places you could be, you end up in the same place I am… then that’s Fate smiling down upon you. And maybe you’ll start believing.”
With that, she gave him one last smile and turned away to leave.
***
Get out of my face!” Edward Sanders bellowed. His voice vibrated in every corner of the tea room where he sat with his wife, his son and his daughter. “Get out of our lives! Consider yourself banished! You cannot expect any form of financial support from this family from now on!”
“Dad!” Julianne heard her twin brother plead. “That is too harsh a punishment! She made a mistake but she’s still my sister, she’s still your daughter! And the baby she is carrying in her tummy is every bit our flesh and blood! Do you really want your grandchild to grow up without a family?”
“What difference does it make? It will grow up without a father, right? Its poor excuse of a father chose for him to become a ! And its mother chose to smear this family’s name! Generations of good reputation, wealth and grace… gone because of your sister’s indiscretion!”
“I know she caused you grief. But I guarantee you it would break your heart even more if you choose to banish her from this family, father. Please don’t do this!” Gian tried desperately to defend his sister.
“I have made my decision. Your sister has made her bed, she has to go lie on it!”
Julianne listened in tears as her father and twin brother talked about her like she was not in the same room at all. Her mother cried silently beside her father. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at her.
“Where will she go?” Gian asked.
“I don’t care where she goes, so long as she and her stay away from this family!”
Julianne’s heart broke even more for the baby inside her tummy. Usually, news of pregnancy was celebrated, particularly in their family. Her baby wasn’t even born yet and he was already hated, loathed and cursed by his very own grandfather.
“I am giving you three hours to pack,” her father said to her. “When I come back from my golf game, you better be gone.”
“You’re kicking her out of the house while you continue to have a good time with your golf buddies? What kind of a father are you?” Gian asked his father angrily.
“Don’t use that tone on me, Giancarlo Sanders! Or do you want to be the next to be disinherited?”
“You’re disinheriting her?” Gian echoed.
“After what she did to tarnish our family name? After I had to swallow all my pride to tell the McAllisters that we could no longer honor our agreement? She should be thankful that’s the only thing I’m doing.”
“You are unbelievable,” Gian said, shaking his head. He turned to his sister. “Come on, Ian. We can figure something out.”
Julianne gave her father one pleading look. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to break your heart. I am so sorry.”
Her father turned away from her, without uttering another word. Gian quickly dragged her out of the room and into her bedroom so she could pack her precious belongings.
After she packed a few clothes, her eyes drifted to the cabinet in her room. It was full of her glass bottle collection. She walked towards the cabinet, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“You cannot bring that, sis,” Gian told her.
“Gian, I’ve collected these since I was young!”
“I know. I will safeguard them for you, don’t worry. Where you’re going, you cannot bring a cabinet full of fragile glass bottles.”
She nodded, and then took her bag from the bed.
A few hours later, Julianne found herself in the airport. Her cousin, Justin Adams, and his wife, Adrienne, were waiting for them.
“Ian!” Adrienne ran up to her and gave her a hug. “Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?”
Julianne opened her mouth to answer but no words came out. Instead, more tears came rolling down her cheeks.
“It’s going to be okay,” Adrienne whispered. “You are not going to do this alone. I promise, even if it’s against everybody’s will, I don’t care. I will be there for you.”
Justin came up behind his wife.
Tears fell from Julianne’s eyes. “My Dad is going to kill you for going against his will,” she told Justin.
“Well, this isn’t the first time I’m gonna go against their will. I’ve done this before and so far, nobody has banished me from the family,” Justin said confidently.
Julianne knew the risk Justin and Adrienne were taking. Their families were very close, their ties were hard to break. They all belonged to wealthy and prominent families, each one owning large businesses and conglomerates in the country. Reputation was of high importance. And so was respect. When one of the elders in their clan made a huge decision, the others were expected to keep quiet, to obey and concur out of respect. That was how they maintained balance and harmony.
When news of Julianne’s banishment reached the other members of their clan, all of her aunts and uncles were expected to respect her father’s decision, even if some of them did not agree that it was the proper punishment for her mistake. To disagree and do something about it might spark friction and unnecessary fights among the four powerful families.
But somehow, there she was, at the airport, about to board the Adams private jet. She didn’t know where the plane was taking her, but she didn’t care—well, she didn’t have much of a choice. Right then, she had nowhere to go.
“Justin, thank you,” Julianne whispered. “I know the risks you guys are taking.”
“Don’t thank me,” Justin said. “Thank this woman, who twisted my arm.” He put an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Julianne smiled at Adrienne. “You have always been there for me. How could I ever thank you?”
“It’s okay. I know you’d do the same for me,” Adrienne said, smiling at her encouragingly.
“All set?” Gian asked behind her.
“Yes,” Justin replied. “Mason and Abi are going to pick her up at the airport. Ian will stay with them. And there, Uncle Edward cannot touch her. She will be taken care of.”
“I will take care of every single thing you will need. I will send you money. Make sure you take care of your baby. You don’t have to worry about anything. I will visit every single chance I get,” Gian said, hugging her. “You may have lost our parents, but don’t you ever think that you will lose me, too.”
“Us too,” Adrienne agreed. “Justin and I will check up on you. We’ll visit whenever we can. We’ll bring Jeffrey along so you can see your nephew.”
Julianne heaved a sigh. She realized how much her life was going to change now and how much she was going to leave behind.
She was the princess of their family—the only girl born in their family’s generation. She had a twin brother and three male cousins. Her family owned Sanders Incorporated, which manufactured cranes and heavy equipment. Justin’s family owned the biggest steel and mining company in the country. Her cousin Jordan’s family owned one of the biggest coffee chains. Her cousin Mason’s family owned a chain of hotel apartments.
She had always thought that being the only girl, she was the only one free to choose her own destiny. Gian would take over the family business, like Justin and Jordan. She, on the other hand, could do whatever she wanted with her life.
But the news of Justin’s arranged marriage two years ago revealed that she too had been arranged to marry one of the country’s most eligible bachelors, Patrick McAllister, who came from a generation of politicians.
It was a great match and everybody agreed, including her family. But Julianne wanted the freedom to explore, to make mistakes and to fall in love.
When she learned of her arranged marriage, she fought hard against it. She had only met Patrick McAllister once. Yes, he was handsome and smart. But Julianne wanted passion and excitement. She wanted love that would consume her, a man who would make her senses go numb and her mind go blank.
And in those last two weeks in Paris… she had everything she ever dreamt of.
“You’re not going to tell us who he is, are you?” Gian asked, his voice cold and his expression sullen.
Julianne blinked back at her brother, like she was coming out of a trance.
“Yeah, Ian. He got you into so much trouble. It’s not fair that you have to go through this alone,” Justin said. It was a trick sentence. She knew what Justin and Gian would do the minute she told them his name—the guy she fell in love with in Paris.
“Guys!” Adrienne hissed. “I’m sure when Ian is ready, she will tell us exactly what happened in her trip. Right now is not the time to deal with this. She’s a grown woman and I’m sure she doesn’t regret being with this guy.” Adrienne looked at her with a slightly raised brow, as if begging her to agree with her.
Julianne nodded in agreement. “I know this is a lot to take. You guys may think that I just threw away my bright future. But… I’m gonna take care of this baby. No matter what Dad or Mom says, I’m going to do this.”
“That son of a is going to pay for leaving you to do this on your own!” Gian said between gritted teeth. “I’m going to beat him black and blue. If only you tell me his name!”
Julianne rolled her eyes. “Now that you say that… there is absolutely no way you’re going to find out!” She looked at them pleadingly. “Look guys. I know you’re mad and you’re putting the blame on him. But did it ever occur to you that I just met a great guy, had a wonderful week in Paris? We fell in love and decided to part ways… damn the consequences? I mean… what if I’ve always wanted to do this alone?”
Gian smirked. “What woman would want to raise a child alone?”
Julianne raised a brow at him. “Excuse me! Women do not need men to take care of their babies! We’re stronger than you give us credit for, you chauvinist pig!”
“It’s the hormones, Gian. Don’t take it personally,” Justin quipped. “When Adrienne was pregnant, I’d get snapped at and cursed at every other half an hour. And she’s never looked more beautiful and fiery in my eyes.”
“That’s because you’re the reason a person was growing inside of her. But in my case, there’s a somewhere in Europe who got lucky for a night and left my sister in ruins for the rest of her life!”
“Gian!” Julianne snapped. “One more word and I swear I will banish you from my life! I know you’re mad. But the father of my baby is a wonderful person.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s a dreamboat. Otherwise, I would be seriously disappointed,” Justin said sarcastically.
“Cut it out boys. There will be a time and a place to discuss this. Right now, let’s just focus on getting Ian out of here, before Uncle Edward suspects anything,” Adrienne said.
“Thank you for doing this,” Julianne told Adrienne. “I’ll make it up to you someday, I promise.”
“Don’t worry about that. Let’s get you out of here,”
Julianne hugged Adrienne, Justin and her twin brother. “I’m going to miss you, guys. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to miss us, sis. We’ll visit as soon as things settle down here,” Gian promised.
A few minutes later, Julianne sat alone in the luxurious seats of Adams Industries’ private jet. She felt comfortable, yes, but deep inside, the pain still felt raw and fresh.
Gian was right. She didn’t have to do this alone. Somewhere in the other part of the world, there was a wonderful, handsome Frenchman who made her fall head over heels in love with him in the two weeks she spent in Paris. He was handsome as hell, and he was the sweetest man she had ever met.
She remembered his face like it was only yesterday. He was not just cute, not just hot… he was beautiful. He was an old soul with creative hands and a deep imagination.
She knew him for a brief moment. Fourteen days, twelve long-stemmed roses, a hundred kisses and one night together were all they had and it was enough to last forever.
She came back to the States thinking if she was going to be doomed to a loveless marriage, a marriage for business purposes, then that two weeks in Paris with that wonderful man would have been enough to last her a lifetime. She found the love that consumed her. One night was enough. She didn’t care if she never experienced love again for the rest of her life.
She closed her eyes to imagine him once more…
“Tu es ravissante…” She could still remember his low, guttural voice, thick with emotions, laced with desire. “Mon amour…”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her whole family thought he had abandoned her. It wasn’t fair. The truth is... he never even got the chance to come after her. Even if he wanted to find her, how could he? When she met him, she didn’t think of having a future with him. She was engaged to someone else.
“Arabella…” She remembered the first time she met him. “My name is Arabella Adams.”
When she left his studio apartment that morning before she boarded the plane back to America, she didn’t think it was necessary to tell him her real name. What for? They didn’t have tomorrow. All her tomorrows were already promised to another man against her will. So, it didn’t matter if she didn’t tell him who she really was… it didn’t matter if she didn’t give him her real name. She might never even see him again.
Who would have known that she would fall in love in two weeks, if she didn’t fall in love with him at first sight? And who would have known she was ovulating the day she finally decided to lose her virginity to the first guy she ever loved? Who would have known he wouldn’t use protection when he’s only met her two weeks ago? Who would have known she would end up pregnant after spending just one night with him?
Julianne gently caressed her abdomen.
“I’m gonna do this,” she whispered. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m going to love you. I’m going to take care of you. We’re going to be just fine.”
Chapter Two
Tu es ravissante… J'adore… Je chérirai ce moment pour toujours… Restez avec moi…
Julianne sat up from bed, waking up from a deep sleep. She looked at her bedside clock. It was only four in the morning.
She reached out for her ankle, to rub the tattoo that was permanently etched there.
Seven years ago, in a small studio apartment in Paris, she was sneaking out quietly, trying her best not to wake him up so he couldn’t stop her from leaving… so she could let go of this fantasy life and face the nightmares that were waiting for her at home.
She thought she would forget him—the only man she’s ever been in love with.
Jas Mathieu.
But even now, he still haunted her dreams. And oftentimes, in the middle of the night, she would lie in bed, thinking about him.
She wanted to fall in love. She did. And he was perfect. An aspiring painter waiting for his time to shine. He wasn’t rich but he was ambitious. He had dreams and he had what it took to make them happen. That was one of the things she admired about him. She wished she could have been with him when his break finally came. But she knew from the beginning that their time was limited. She couldn’t stay. She couldn’t even give him her real name.
She remembered the day she decided to get a tattoo. She had always wanted to get one but she knew her parents would never agree.
“Well, how often do they look on your bum, your hip or the inside of your ankle?” Jas asked, his voice full of mischief. “You could get a tattoo—in a place where they wouldn’t care to look, right?”
She decided that her father had already signed up her life to the McAllisters anyway. Getting this tattoo was something she would do for herself… something to remember her days of freedom in Paris.
“Okay, why don’t you choose a design?” she asked him.
Jas drew a heart and butterfly wing tattoo design on a piece of paper. It was a bit of an abstract, but quite cute and elegant. She liked it very much.
“Are you sure you trust me to be the designer of probably the only tattoo you will get in your life?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Well, I have faith in you,” she replied, smiling back at him. “Something to remember Paris by. You and my tattoo.”
He asked the tattoo artist to draw the design on her. When it was finished, she distinctly saw the line inside the heart that unwittingly looked like the letter J. Beside it was a line that formed what looked like one wing of a butterfly.
She narrowed his eyes at him. “You had your initial drawn on my ankle?”
He laughed. “Like you said, me and your tattoo.”
He was right. She never forgot him. The tattoo always reminded her of their borrowed time together.
But who would have thought that he would change her life forever? That one night was all it took to bind him to her for the rest of her life.
Jared Adrien Sanders.
That was her son’s name. His middle name was after his godmother, Adrienne, who had always been there for Julianne since she’d been banished by her parents.
Every day, Jared reminded her of his father. They had the same shade of reddish-brown hair, the same aquamarine eyes, which were his most attractive feature. Jared even had the same dimples and chin as his father. How could she hope to forget the beautiful man she fell in love with in Paris? Jared was the exact miniature of Jas Mathieu.
At an early age, Jared exhibited creativity and skill with his hands. Julianne knew he was going to be an artist like his father. Every day that she fell in love with her son was another day she stayed in love with his father.
Once every three months, Adrienne and Justin would go to Paris to visit Adrienne’s family. They would take their three kids with them—Jeffrey, who was seven now, and twins Jaeden and Jaelynn, who were three.
For the past year, since Julianne came back to the States from her exile in Italy, she’d been living with Justin and Adrienne, along with her son. Justin offered her a job as VP for Corporate Strategy for Adams Industries. The salary was good and included a rent-free stay in the Adams’s Mansion.
Julianne thought to use her intellect this time instead of her heart. She let go feelings of pride, remorse and fear and decided to go home. It didn’t matter whether her parents would forgive her or accept her son. What mattered was that Justin gave her a chance to give her son a bright future, even if he didn’t have a rich father like the rest of his cousins. She would provide for him and she vowed that Jared would never feel that there was something missing in his life.
Jared had grown close to his cousins over the last year. The first time Julianne allowed him to go with Justin and Adrienne to Paris, Jared almost didn’t want to leave. It was as if he felt that a part of him belonged there. He was part-French after all.
A week ago, Jared begged her to let him go to Paris once again. She was in the middle of an important project for Adams Industries and could not afford to take off from work. Reluctantly, she let her son go without her again. She promised she would be with him next time.
Julianne picked up her phone to check her messages. Paris was seven hours ahead. It was almost noontime there. She was hoping Adrienne sent her updates about her son.
She saw one message from Adrienne. It had a video of Jared.
“Tu… es… wait what?” Jared was saying in front of the camera. Then he called somebody that Julianne couldn’t see from the video. “Uncle Jin! What was it?”
“Ravi…” somebody was saying in the background, coaching Jared.
“I got it,” Jared said. Then he faced the camera again. “Mommy! Tu es ravissante!” He smiled widely, showing the deep dimple on his cheek. Then he blew her a kiss. “Je t’aime.”
Julianne smiled at her son’s attempt to speak French. In a way, she felt that he should speak the language. It was a part of him.
Julianne dialed Adrienne’s number.
“It’s too early. Why are you up?” Adrienne asked on the other line.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Julianne replied. “I saw the video.”
“He’s so adorable, isn’t he?”
“He is. That’s what he’s been up to lately?”
“Yeah, my brother’s trying to teach him some words. Maybe by the end of this trip, he’ll be more fluent than me. I’m still struggling and I’m part French.”
So was Jared.
“I hope your family didn’t mind that you brought an extra kid with you,” Julianne said.
“Are you kidding me? My parents love Jared,” Adrienne replied. “Even my brother adores him and he’s a bit of a monster sometimes.”
“A monster? How could any monster be related to you?”
“Well, many years ago, I thought my brother was one of the most adorable and sweetest guys on earth. Then history changed him. He’s now unemotional, detached and sometimes a bit of a crude. That’s why he didn’t attend our family gatherings. You won’t even see him in our family photos. He just… doesn’t like to socialize very much. It’s a long, complicated story. Maybe you need to meet him to understand what I mean.”
“Well, I don’t socialize with our entire family either and I’ve been MIA in our family photos for years. But I have my reasons.”
“Ian… don’t worry. I know someday, Uncle Edward will come around. You guys will patch things up,” Adrienne said encouragingly.
“It’s been seven years, Adrienne. I’m not keeping my hopes up. Neither should you.”
“Well, I know there is hope. He never antagonized Justin for helping you seven years ago. And he never said anything negative when he found out that you’re working for Justin and that you’re living with us.”
“Not saying anything does not mean agreeing, when it comes to my father. Sometimes, it just means, he’s biding his time. You should know that about him. Besides, it’s not about me anymore, Adrienne. I was hoping he’d have the heart to even look at his grandson.”
“The right time will come. His heart will melt when he sees your boy. Hey, if Jared could melt my brother’s almost-non-existent heart, I’m sure he can soften your father’s. Jared is a naturally charming boy. He must have gotten that from his father.”
He did. Jas Mathieu was one of the most angelic and charming creatures I’ve met. He’s a beautiful old soul.
Julianne shook off old memories of Jas Mathieu from her mind, to keep from feeling heartbroken once again.
“Wait, what about your parents? I hope I’m not imposing too much on them. I haven’t even met them yet.”
“I told you, your son is a natural charmer. He’s already stolen my parents’ hearts. They already consider Jared as their family. And they cannot wait to meet you.”
“Yeah, I promise I’ll come next time.”
“Well, that next time will be soon enough,” Adrienne said.
“Why?”
“Well, my mother is throwing a huge party next month. And all of us are expected to attend,” Adrienne replied. “She’s celebrating the success of one of her books. She’s hit another bestseller. She does this every time one of her books hit the number one spot, which is at least once a year.”
“Wow. Send my congratulations.”
“You can tell her yourself when you arrive here,” Adrienne said. “It’s going to be a double celebration. My brother is about to be engaged.”
“Is that engagement by his own will or is it the type of engagement that both our families are fond of getting into?”
Yes, their families were quite notorious for arranged marriages. Adrienne’s mother and stepfather had an arranged marriage. Justin and Adrienne had been arranged to marry each other too. Good thing they were already in love when they found out about the arrangement. Justin’s father and mother had also been arranged to be married. Julianne, too, would have been married to the man they arranged her with, if she hadn’t gotten pregnant first.
“Well, he’s been seeing this girl on and off. She comes from a good family who owns a chain of hotels that Starck Corp. had been looking to acquire. Marriage between him and this girl would be very convenient.”
“You mean it will be easier for your brother to acquire this chain of hotels if he were to marry this girl?”
“In a way, yeah.”
“How much does your brother want to expand your family’s hotel properties?”
“My brother is a prodigy. He started working for Papa when he was only sixteen. By eighteen, he was already handling half of Starck Corp. and my mother’s spa and relaxation chain. It’s his life’s mission to see Starck Corp. at the top of the world.”
“And getting this girl’s family’s hotels will do the job?”
“It will give Starck Corp. a very huge and very rare advantage, apparently.”
“How difficult is it to acquire these properties?”
“Difficult since it’s purely family-owned.”
“If I were his VP for Corporate Strategy, I would advise him to do the same thing. Marry her. That is, if he didn’t have a heart, like you said, and he didn’t look forward to marrying for love anyway.”
“Unfortunately, nothing is more important to my brother than our family business. He would do anything and would stop at nothing.”
“And this party is going to be an engagement party?”
“Well, not yet. Because he’s only expected to propose to her there.”
“In the middle of the party? In front of all the people he barely knows? That’s very unromantic, don’t you think?”
“What do you expect? It almost happened to me, remember? Our parents expected Justin to propose to me the same way—at one of my mother’s book parties. Maybe Mom was trying to start a tradition.”
“I will forever be sorry that I missed that party. How I wish I’d seen the faces of your parents when you guys didn’t show up to your own engagement party.”
“I’m sorry you weren’t a bridesmaid at my wedding either.”
“Yeah. I hated Justin for weeks when I found out you were getting hitched on a secret wedding in Italy! Your timing was impossible.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be a bridesmaid when I marry her again, Ian,” Justin said on the other line. Julianne could hear Adrienne protesting. Justin must have taken the phone away from her.
“You’re going to marry her again?”
“Of course. I’ll marry her over and over if I have the chance. But I do intend to get married again in the States. We’ll renew our vows. And this time it’s going to be grand. Everybody will be invited.”
“Good, because I will never speak to you ever if I miss it again.”
“Anyway, did you read the email I sent to you yesterday?” Justin asked. His tone turned serious and professional. Julianne had to remember that she’s now talking to her boss.
“Yes,” she replied. “RJ Shipping looks promising. But in terms of experience, they’ve only been in the market for two years. I don’t know if they’re the right company to handle our shipments in Asia.”
“I trust the owner. He’ll be in Chicago in the coming weeks. Do you think you can meet up with him?”
“Me? Well, I’ve given you my opinion. Don’t you think Procurement should be the one to handle that meeting?”
“I know what George is going to say,” Justin said.
“Me too.”
“I know. I just want to give River a chance. And if you meet him, you’ll understand why I’m inclined to trust him. And maybe you’ll give a different input before we set out the wolves to see him. And as my VP for Strategy, I’m sure you’ll come up with some other recommendations. I want to make a partnership happen. River was one of the people I could trust with my life.”
“Fine, I’ll meet him.”
“Thanks, Ian. Now, do you want to speak to my wife again?”
“It’s okay. I’ll call later. It’s only four in the morning here.”
“Don’t worry, too much, Ian. Jared is in good hands. They love him here.”
“Thanks for doing this, Justin. And thank Adrienne and her lovely family for me.”
“Sure. Speak to you later.”
Julianne smiled to herself. She missed her son very much. Next time, she won’t be too busy to visit and meet Adrienne’s family.
Basic Info of Top 3 Ad Creative
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
| Duration | 177 | 114 | 114 |
| Popularity | 948 | 835 | 832 |
| Dimensions | 1080 x 1080 | 600 x 600 | 600 x 600 |
| Creative Type | Image | Image | Image |
| Network | Audience Network | Messenger | |
| Related Ads | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Countries | United States,Australia,Canada,United Kingdom | United States | United States |
| Language | English | English | English |
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